


Dibs

by nerdyxxluvxx121



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Cute, F/M, Sloppy Makeouts, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-21
Updated: 2012-04-20
Packaged: 2017-11-04 00:57:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/387892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdyxxluvxx121/pseuds/nerdyxxluvxx121
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has had dibs called on them before. From the front seat of a car, to the last cookie. But what if your best friend calls dibs on the boy of your dreams?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Meeting internet friends was nerve-wracking, and one certain Jane Crocker was no exception to the madness. Her already spotless house was getting a final sweep as her friends were on their way. One friend had arrived already, though, but Jane knew that she was too drunk to even notice any sign of filth. Her blond friend, Roxy Lalonde, was sprawled out on the couch, an empty martini glass in hand. “Janey, you worry too muck. You should relac; the boys don’t care what your house looks like.” Even in person, Roxy had a hard time speaking and tended to slur her words.

                Jane got up from her spot on the carpet where she was vacuuming profusely and glanced at her friend as she turned off the machine. “It matter, Ro, because they’re my friends, but also strangers,” she explained, slipping the white gloves off of her hands. “Besides, I’d like to make a good impression; you never know what might happen.”

                Roxy sat up slightly and crossed her legs, smiling. “Well, I call dibs on them, both of them. Especially on that Jake English. Mmh, he sounds like one fine piece of man candy, doesn’t he Janey?” Jane turned slightly red and ignored the question by packing up the vacuum. “Janey, you aren’t answering me!” Roxy exclaimed, sitting straighter and trying to get any possible drop of alcohol that was left in her glass. After another moments silence, Roxy raised an eyebrow and studied her friends face, who was now completely pink. “Dear God, you like Jake don’t you?” she accused.

                “What? No!” Jane shouted back quickly. “And even if I did, you called dibs on him, and Dick. So I guess tonight I’ll bake a bit while you mack on your new lovers.” Outwardly, Jane seemed completely indifferent at this point of the conversation, but inwardly her heart was beating quickly and her stomach felt as if it was filled to the brim with butterflies. But as Jane stored away the vacuum, there was a knock on her front door.

                “Jane!” shouted a boy’s voice, followed by more knocks. “I know you’re in there! It’s us, Jake and Dick! And he really wasn’t lying when he said his name was Dick! Come on, Jane! Open the door! I want to give you a big, old hug!”

                Jane was about to lose her lunch because of how nervous she was. “Hey, Roxy, could you get the door? I want to see if Jake notices it’s you and not me.” She told her friend, a small smile on her face. Roxy had dibs on him anyways, so she might as well get to play a prank or two on the boy. Roxy didn’t even answer, but she simply set her glass down and drunkenly stumbled to the door and opened it.

                Jane didn’t even think Jake looked at who opened the door, because a green flash darted into her home and tackled Roxy to the ground in a hug. “Oh, Jane, it’s so nice to finally meet you! I always dreamed I’d be able to meet you in person and not in dreams. Hey, you smell funny. Are you okay?” To his surprise, the girl he had knocked to the ground was not Jane, but instead Lalonde. With a snort of disgust, Jake pushed himself off of her. “That was a dirty trick, Lalonde!” he exclaimed, crossing his arms in a sort of pout.

                Jane couldn’t help but giggle as she stepped out from her hallway. “It was my idea, Jake. I wanted to see if you would notice or not, and I guess you didn’t notice!” At this point, Jane was giggling so hard she had to hold herself up against the wall. “I didn’t think… I didn’t think it was going to be funny, but the look on your face.” But Jane realized she hadn’t even looked at Jake’s face. She lifted her head and saw the face of a dark haired boy with bright green eyes gazing at her. She let her eyes sweep down to his lips, which is where she saw that he had an overbite, not unlike herself. He was wearing an open green shirt over a white one with a green skull, and khaki pants. Around his waist was a gun holster where he held two guns. In his hands was a small gift and Jane glanced at it, puzzled. “What’s in your hand?” she asked curiously, taking a step towards him.

                In a complete change of attitude, Jake hurled himself at Jane, drowning her in a hug. Jane never could have guessed how much taller he was than her and how she seemed to fit perfectly in his arms. _Dibs._ She thought bitterly.

                “It’s for you, Jane; to thank you for all your trouble and letting me and Diva here stay with you.” Jake exclaimed, shoving the brown package into her hand.

                “Yo, it’s Dick, not Diva.” Dick Strider finally spoke up. Dick was a better built man, but not exactly more muscular. He had more of a mannish face and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of pointy shades. His hair was golden and messy, while his face was spotted with stubble.

                Roxy picked herself off the ground and brushed herself off before she even noticed Dick’s presence. “And I bet yours is a fine one, too.”

                Embarrassed of how quickly the conversation turned, Jane ripped open the package and smiled. Inside the wrappers was a blue spoon, not unlike her old red one she had accidentally broken not too long ago.

                “I know it’s not like your red one, but blue suits you so much better. You look wonderful in blue, and this will surely bring out your eyes.” Jake muttered his cheeks slightly pink. “If you don’t like it, I could find something else or-“

                Jake was instantly cut off by Jane hugging him again, slipping her hands around his waist. “No, it’s perfect. I love it.” She told him.

                Roxy cleared her throat obnoxiously, causing Jane to release her hug, her face glowing red. “Remember what we talked about, Jane? Dibs.”

                “Dibs.”


	2. Chapter 2

After leading the boys to the guest room where they would be staying, Jane left them alone to unpack and sat on her white couch, holding the new, blue spoon in her hand. She couldn’t help but smile as she ran her fingers across the smooth plastic. _It was so nice of Jake to give a present to me._ She thought, turning it over in her hand. _I really wish there was a better way to properly thank him. I would ask Roxy for advice, but she’d probably tell me to give him a big kiss or something. That would be weird, kissing Jake, wouldn’t it?_ Jane couldn’t even bring herself to answer her own question. Just thinking about kissing Jake sent her heart in a frenzy.

                A sudden scream set her straight, though. “Lalonde, get out of here!” Jake shouted. “And give me back my underwear!” It wasn’t exactly what Jane wanted to hear, but this was her life. She sprang up from her seat and sprinted upstairs, only to find Roxy standing outside the boy’s door, Jake’s underwear on her head as a hat.

                “It’s gunna cost ya one smooch!” she told him, her words barely understandable. As Jane got closer, Jane noticed that his legs were bare and the only thing covering up the important parts was part of his shirt and his guns. Instantly, Jane turned away and covered her eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Jake! I didn’t see a thing!” she exclaimed, her face going from a light pink to a deep red almost instantly. Jake looked down and noticed that he really had nothing on. Embarrassed, he covered himself up and glanced around in a panic.

                “Oh, don’t worry about it, Jane! We’re-“ But he cut himself off. What were they, exactly? They had to be a bit more than friends, but they weren’t exactly in a relationship, either.

                “Oh Jakey!” Roxy called in a sing-songy voice. Simultaneously, Jake and Jane turned to see Roxy using the beam of Jane’s house as a stripper pole. “Now you have to watch me dance for your underpants back.”

                “Roxy!” Jane shouted, pulling her friend off the pole. “You are a guest in my home, and you are not respecting said home.  Now please, give Jake his panties back!” After Jane shouted, silence rang throughout the home as Roxy and Jane stared each other down. It was rather awkward for Jake, who stood in the doorway to the guest room, and it was even more uncomfortable for Dick, who was watching all of this from behind.

                Roxy eventually gave up the staring contest and reluctantly handed Jane the underpants. Jane pivoted around and held them out to Jake. Her blue eyes, filled with passion and determination, bore right into Jake’s as she shoved the underpants into his hands. “Now please, unpack and make yourself decent.” She commanded him and without an answer, she pushed Roxy in front of her to force her downstairs.

                Jake was shocked and stood in the hallway like an idiot, staring at Jane as she left down the stairs. “And come down here when you’re finished! We’re going to have a good time, okay?” she shouted up at the two boys. “And we’ll pretend none of this ever even happened!”

                Jake nodded numbly, though he knew she couldn’t see him. He turned back into the room and saw Dick with his arms crossed. Jake awkwardly redressed himself and avoided eye contact with Strider. As Jake made his way back over to his suitcase, Dick finally spoke. “You like her, don’t you?”

                Jake’s head went straight up. “Like who?” he asked innocently. “I don’t know you’re talking about.”

                “Don’t play dumb with me, English. Jane. You have a big old schoolgirl crush on Jane.” Dick inquired.

                Jake dropped the gun that he had been unpacking and froze, turning red. “I… I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” He repeated nervously. “Jane and I are just simply friends, Strider; just friends.”

                Dick studied Jake for a moment before shrugging and turning away from him. “Well, whatever you say. If she really is just a friend, then you won’t mind if I make a move on her.”

                Jake spun around, about to yell at Dick for even thinking about Jane like that, but then he stopped. Why would he care who Jane dated? They were only friends. “Yeah, go ahead. Better yet, I’ll help you, buddy. I’ll suggest a nice game of truth or dare, or even spin the bottle.” Jake promised his friend. It sounded like a good idea, but Jake’s stomach was turning into knots and he couldn’t help but feel a bit upset. It was hard for Jake to understand what exactly he was feeling. He grew up mostly alone, and he had always cleverly avoided feelings. But now, his emotions were spiraling out of control and it made him feel so sick.

                It really didn’t take the boys long to unpack after that, since boys only packed what they needed and no more. When they went downstairs, they saw Jane and Roxy sitting on the couch, each eating a slice of cake. When Jane spotted them, she smiled broadly and waved them over. “We’re just eating a snack, but then we can finally get this week long party started.” She told them as she took another bite.

                Jake watched Jane as she took dainty little bites, but then he quickly looked away, a small pout forming on his face. Suddenly, Jane sprung up from the couch and shoved a forkful of cake into his mouth. “Jake, if you wanted some cake, why didn’t you let me know? There’s no reason to pout!”

                Jake was surprised and stared at her for a moment before processing what just happened. She only thought he was interested in her cake. He forced a smile and chewed the cake in his mouth. “Wow, this is actually really good.” He complimented her.

                “Want some more?” Jane asked, and Jake responded with a nod, expecting Jane to feed him another forkful. Unfortunately, Jane was a huge mood killer and all she did was shove the plate in his hand. “You can have the rest of this since I’m full.” She told him and then she turned to Dick. “Did you want any, Di Strider?” Dick shook his head and Jane smiled at him. “Alright, how about we play a game of some sorts, unless that’s not cool enough for you, Strider?” she offered, standing in the middle of her three friends.

                After Jake swallowed another bite of cake, he spoke up. “We could play, uh, truth or dare.” He offered and Jane turned to him. Jane tilted her head as she thought, and Jake was almost positive she wouldn’t agree, until she smiled wider.

                “That’s a great idea! It will let us get to know each other a little better!”

                Jake faked a smile and thought, _She has no idea._


	3. Chapter 3

  1. The game began straight away. Jane pushed away her coffee table and everyone sat in a circle in the middle of Jane’s living room. The lights were dimmed, and there was some soft music playing the background. As everyone got settled, Dick glanced at Jake. English wasn’t very good at hiding his emotions, and he could tell right away that the thought of him making a move on Jane was upsetting him.           



                “You should go first, Jake, since it was your idea.” Jane told him, elbowing him in the side gently. Jake had not really been paying attention to what he had been doing. He had somehow placed himself between Jane and Dick, and he was across from Lalonde. He wondered how he had managed to get himself into such a strange place.

                “Me? First? Alright then, Jane, truth or dare?” he asked her.

                “I’ll start out with a truth, I guess. Let’s start out easy!”

                Jake smiled slightly, and wracked his mind for a question. “Okay, I’ll go easy on you, what’s your favorite drink?”

                “My favorite drink is iced tea.” Jane responded almost immediately.

                Roxy snorted and caused everyone to look at her. “Janey, just iced tea? You gotta add some booze.”

                “Roxy, I’m 15, why would I want to add alcohol?” Jane asked, crossing her arms.

                “Bffsy, just trust me. Add some vodka and call me in the morning.”

                “No thanks.”

                “Pussy!”

“Anyways, Dick, your turn, truth or dare?” Jane asked, turning to the taller blond.

                Dick thought for a moment, rubbing his chin with his hand. “I’ll pick dare.”

                Jane grinned and rubbed her hands together deviously. “I got a good one. Every time Roxy asks for more alcohol, or even mentions booze, you have to moo like a cow!” Jake couldn’t help but roar with laughter and he fell backwards. Strider grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

                “You’ll be mooing nonstop!” Jake exclaimed, his eyes tearing up a bit. Roxy wrinkled her nose in disgust at the jokes being made at her expense.

                “This isn’t funny at all. I think I need another drink…” Roxy started, and when she realized what she said she huffed. “This really isn’t funny!”

                Dick sighed and mooed, causing Jake to laugh harder. Jane couldn’t help but giggle too. “Your turn, Dick!”

                “Lalonde, truth or dare?”

                “Truth for now, I really don’t want to get up.” Roxy responded, leaning back against the couch.

                “How many times have you had sex?” He asked casually, leaning his arm against his knee.

                “Three times, and I don’t remember the boy’s name.” She answered truthfully and Jane raised her eyebrows.

                “But you told me you were a virgin!” she interjected.

                Roxy chuckled and replied, “Well I lied. Jakey! Truth or dare, not like it matters because I’m gonna dare ya!” Jake just blinked at her as she continued. “I dare you to play the nervous game with one of us.” Immediately, Jake and Jane both turned scarlet and fidgeted nervously. Jane was nervous because she had never heard of this game, and Jake was nervous because he hated this game.

                “That’s unfair, I really would have chosen truth if I was given the choice.”

                “You’re options are the nervous game, or three shots of vodka.” Roxy retorted angrily. “So just pick one!”

                As the silence grew awkward, Dick chose this point to be an appropriate time to moo.

                “Fine, I’ll do it. Jane, I’ll play it with you since we’re such good friends.” Jake told her, causing Jane to go redder in the face.

                Jane turned towards him and smiled slightly. “Don’t be nervous, it’s just a dare, Jake. It doesn’t mean anything.” Jake smiled back at her and held his hand over her foot, shaking a bit.

                “Are you nervous yet?”

                “Nope!”

                His hand slid farther up, and Jake thought everything was going okay until he got to her crotch. His face went pale and his hand shook. “A-are you nervous yet?” Jane simply shook her head and smiled. She wasn’t aware that she could say yes at any point to stop the game. Jake’s hand went further up, and he was careful not to touch her at this point. He was surprised at how calm Jane was, and he tried his best to keep himself calm. The game was fine until he got to her chest. Embarrassed, he closed his eyes as he moved his hand. _Squish._ His hand accidentally landed right on her breast!

                Jake was too shocked to move and he just stared at his hand, while Jane stared up at him. “Uh, Jake, I’m fucking nervous!” she exclaimed, causing Jake to move his hand and bury his face in his knees.

                “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! I mean, I was just so nervous that something would go wrong!”

                “That’s the closest he’s ever been to a girl before.” Dick translated, and Jake shot him a death glare.

                Jane just smiled and pat Jake’s hand. “It’s alright, Jake. It was just an accident. No need to apologize.”

                As Jake calmed down, he could have sworn that he saw Lalonde giving him the death glare. He shrugged it off and the game continued.

                The game continued for a little while, until another interesting dare arose. It was Dick’s turn, and he asked Jane. Jane responded with dare. “Alright then, Jane, I dare you to kiss me.” This caused the room to grow tense, and Roxy to choke on her drink.

                “Kiss you?” Jane repeated, hoping her ears had deceived her. Dick only nodded and she sighed. “Well, it’s just a dare. It doesn’t mean anything, right?” Dick nodded again.

                Roxy cleared her throat. “But Janey, this will be your first kiss. Do you really want it to be taken away so easily?” Jane only shrugged.

                “It’s just a kiss.”

                Jake had been oddly silent when this dare was brought up. He was enraged that Strider would even suggest such a thing, and worse, Jane was agreeing.

                Jane leaned over Jake’s lap with her head tilted up at Strider. As their mouths approached, Jake began to panic. He had to stop this somehow. He reached behind him and found one of Lalonde’s bottles of vodka. He was glad they were friends with a drunk who carried around enough alcohol to stock a bar. He quickly opened the bottle and dumped it all over Jane.

                Oops. He had meant to drench Strider, not Jane! He quickly dropped the bottle and crawled backwards.

                Jane let out a cry of surprise and jumped back as she was covered in vodka. “Jake!” she shouted angrily. “What the hell was that for?”

                Dick sighed and shook his head. “I think that was for me.”


	4. Chapter 4

Jake knew he was in trouble. Not even just a little bit in trouble. No, Jake English was in so much trouble, he feared slightly for his life. The look on Jane’s face, Lalondes’ look of shock and Striders’ slight smirk; Jake was screwed. Time seemed to stop or something because everyone just stared at Jane to see what her move would be. Jane stared down at herself then back at Jake a few times. Suddenly, Jane jumped to her feet and Jake fell backwards, covering his face. “Not the face! I need the face!” he shouted.

                Jane raised a questioning eyebrow. “What? Oh, this. Ah, it’s nothing. I’ll just go wash up and then I’ll change. No big deal.” Jane shrugged and went off to the kitchen to clean the vodka off her face and out of her hair. As soon as Jane left, Roxy and Dirk were both hounding him for answers.

                “Why did you do that?” Roxy asked, poking his cheek. “My poor bffsy, she’s all covered in alcohol!”

                “I don’t know!” Jake exclaimed, burying his head in his hands.

                “You weren’t jealous, were you?” Dirk asked casually, an all-knowing smirk on his face.

                “Shut up Dirk. Why don’t you go bother someone else?” Jake snapped. He was mostly angry at himself, but Dirk was also being a, well, Dirk.

                With a shrug, Dirk got up and went in the kitchen without a word. As Jake watched him walk away, Roxy began to scoot closer. When he turned back to her, she was awkwardly close. “Jake, are you really jealous?” she asked.

                Jake scoffed. “Me, jealous of him? That’s preposterous, Roxy! Like I have said before, Jane is just a friend.”

                Roxy raised an eyebrow and leaned a bit closer to Jake, which caused him to loosen his collar a bit. “Well, if you don’t like Janey, then who do you like?” Jake could smell the alcohol on her breath and he tried to back up a bit. Unfortunately, he was trapped between Roxy and the coffee table. “Really, English, you could probably have any girl. I mean, you have the looks, you have the charm, and even an accent!”

                He pressed himself into the coffee table. His face was red and his glasses were starting to fog up. He didn’t like where this was going at all. “I think that… Jane needs some help.” With that, Jake excused himself into the kitchen,

***

                When Jane was out of sight of the group, she buried her face in her hands. She had only agreed to kiss Strider to see what kissing someone was like. She was also slightly embarrassed. Why would Jake react with such hostility? He had already made it clear earlier that he wasn’t looking to be more than just friends. She grabbed a towel and wet it under the sink. As she wiped off her face, she heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. She spun around and was surprised to see Strider.

                “You alright?” he asked simply, closing the gap between them quickly. He grabbed the towel from her hand and wiped her face dry for her, without waiting for her to respond. “A girl like you shouldn’t have to deal with something like that.”

                “What do you mean like that?” Jane asked, crossing her arms. “I really don’t appreciate it when you insult him, Strider. Jake is very nice, and I’m sure there’s was a perfectly good-“

                He cut her off. “Do you like Jake?” he asked abruptly.

                Jane was taken aback. “Like, like like Jake? No, of course not! We’re just friends, Dirk.”

                The space between the two kids seemed to grow smaller, and Jane was too oblivious to notice until she felt Dirk’s warm breath on her face. Jane looked up and their eyes met. “Well, if you don’t like him any more than a friend, do you mind if we go through with our dare?” he murmured, bringing his hand up to trace her jaw line. But Dirk didn’t have any of that southern gentlemen charm, and he just kissed Jane square on the mouth.

                Kissing was strange, and she understood why people called it swapping spit. Jane was practically being attacked by Strider’s mouth, but it made her face turn a slight pink. She felt herself kissing him back somehow, but the whole experience was strange, especially when it seemed his tongue forced its way between her teeth. Right as she was about to push him away, she heard a glass shatter.

                The two teens sprung apart, Jane’s hair slightly amiss. Standing in the kitchen doorway was Jake, his empty cup shattered across the floor. “Jake!” Jane squeaked in surprise. _Why did he have to find us?_ She thought in despair as she started at him, slightly bewildered. Jake didn’t respond, but instead he marched right up to the tall Dirk Strider and stared up at him. The two had a stare off for what seemed like an eternity.

                Everything else happened so quickly. Jake took a swing at Dirk’s face and hit him square in the jaw. Dirk responded by kicking Jake down, and then the two boys were going at it. Jane was dumbstruck for a moment, but she quickly recomposed herself. She grabbed her newest blue spoon, the one that Jake had given her, and brought it down with a hard crack on both of their backs. “Stop it!” she shouted at them, wielding her spoon as a weapon.

                The two boys stopped almost immediately. The spoon hurt more than their fists. They had ended up on the ground and they had to look up at Jane, who towered over them with her hands on her hips. Even Dirk had to admit he was afraid. “What the hell was that, English?!” She shouted. But even Jake couldn’t answer to this. “Why the hell did you come in here and punch him?”

                But even if Jake knew the answer, what came out next was nowhere near the answer. “I should ask you the same question, _Crocker._ You were in here swapping spit with Strider, how was I supposed to act?”

                Jane scowled. “Well that’s definitely not how you were supposed to act! You might have broken his jaw! Granted he may have broken your nose… But still!”

                Jake cracked his knuckles and glanced over at Strider, who had a nice bruise already forming on his jaw line. He wouldn’t be sucking anyone’s face for a while, especially Jane’s. Jake froze as he realized his thoughts. Why would he care if Jane was kissing Dirk? He got to his feet suddenly and crossed his arms. “He deserved it, to say the least. He was practically sucking your face off.” _Smack._

                Jake stared at Jane and held his face, where her hand had just slapped him. Jane’s face was red and angry, and Jake knew he had stepped too far over the line. “And you deserved that, Jake English. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I don’t like it.” Her voice was cold, but her voice cracked a bit as if she was holding back tears. Jane threw the blue spoon at Jake before dashing out of the kitchen, jumping over the pieces of shattered glass with great skill.

 

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Jake, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky leaving the kitchen to go after her. He had already forgotten about the glass that covered the ground, and as he went to run after Jane, he stepped on it, sending him crashing and swearing into the living room, at Roxy’s feet. Jake was in more trouble now than he would ever be. Dirk stood behind him, sweeping up the broken glass with no visible emotion, as usual.

                Roxy clicked her tongue and stood over him, shaking her head. “Jake, Jack, Jake.” She tsked, crossing her arms over her chest. “You really shouldn’t do this to poor Janey here. I mean, you keep screwing with her emotions, Jakey my boy.” Jake looked up and raised an eyebrow.

                “What are you talking about? Jane and I are just friends, I don’t-“

                Dirk started to chuckle, and when Jake glared at him, he stopped. “Jake, I’ve been trying to show you that what you feel for Jane isn’t friendship. It really is love. But now you’ve gone and fucked everything up, bro. You realize she may never forgive you, right?”

                Jake sighed and nodded. “I know, I messed up big time,” he admitted, hanging his head in shame.

                Roxy seemed to have something on her mind, and before Jake could ask, she spoke up herself. “I’ll fix this all for you, if you let me do one thing. And no, it doesn’t involve alcohol.”

                Jake bit his lip, but he nodded reluctantly. “I’ll do whatever you want, just, convince her to give me another chance!” he begged. Roxy smirked and motioned for him to stand up. She quickly brushed him off and looked him over.

                “Now, just close your eyes.” Roxy commanded. Jake did as he was told, squeezing them tightly together. “And relax your face, Jake. Come on, I’m not going to hurt you.” Jake chuckled nervously and relaxed his face. It seemed an eternity had passed when Jake finally felt the hot breath of what he assumed to be Roxy on his face. Their two lips met and Jake was surprised that she didn’t taste of liquor. He was also surprised at how sloppy she was, and how rough the facial hair on her face was.

                At facial hair, his eyes sprung open to reveal a certain Dirk Strider kissing him. Jake jumped backwards and made a face. “The fuck are you doing Strider? Are you a homosexual?”

                Strider just shrugged. “Just ironic, what, didn’t like the sloppy make out?”

                Jake scowled and then turned to Roxy. “And what exactly was that for?”

                Roxy, who was bright red, grinned. “Just to test if you were straight. Congratulations, you pass!” In her hand she held a camera, which Jake seemed to ignore. She had taken a picture of them kissing, for possible future blackmail, but also to hang on her wall of sexy pictures. “Now, you two can stay down here while I go talk to Janey. But please, try not to get into any fights.” With that final statement, she skipped up the stairs.

***

                Jane was frustrated. She wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Jake had made it perfectly clear that he only wanted to be friends, but then he went and punched Strider, and now? Who knew what Mr. English was up to now? And furthermore, who cared what he was doing. Jane fumed around her room, throwing piles of things on the floor in frustration, but when her door opened, she scowled and threw her pillow at the person entering, assuming it was Jake. “Go away, you stupid Aussie. You’re in so much trouble, you don’t even know!”

                As the pillow thumped to the floor, Roxy raised an amused eyebrow. “Feel better, Janey?” she asked calmly, setting the pillow onto her bed as Jane flopped down on it.

                “No, I don’t feel any better about this! Sometimes I wish Jake would just spit out what he was thinking!” Jane grumbled, burying her face into the covers of her bed. “But even then, that wouldn’t matter, because he’s off limits!”

                Roxy felt a little guilty. “Well, if it helps, I undib him.”

                Jane sat straight up. “You undib him, but why? I thought you wanted both of them for yourself, because you have that strange sex list and they’re both on it, so I thought-“

                “I’ll take Jake off,” Roxy interrupted. “Because, just between you and me, he likes you, Jane, and hell, why shouldn’t he? You guys would be one hell of a couple.” Jane smiled and hugged her friend.

                “Thank you so much, Roxy. But, Jake’s the kind of guy that would get nervous admitting these things around you and Dirk, and I can’t just leave you two alone in my house so we can talk. I guess Jake and I just weren’t meant to be.”

                Suddenly, Roxy stood up and crossed her arms. “Jane something Crocker, what are you saying? When there is love, there is a way!” Jane tilted her head slightly. “I got that off a candy bar. It sounded better in my head.”

                Jane laughed and crossed her legs. “Well, Roxy, what’s your plan then? What’s your plan to make this thing work?”

                Roxy gave a little evil smile. “Well, first things first-“

                “All my clothes stay on.” Jane interrupted. “And no alcohol will be involved.”

                “Well hold on, now I have to think of a better idea.” Roxy grumbled.

                Jane sighed and flopped back onto the bed. “Well, if you can make sure it takes place before the meteor shower tonight, then that would be swell.”

                “Wait, what did you just say?”

                “The meteor shower, the whole reason why you guys are here now and not on my birthday like I wanted. My house is apparently the best place to watch it.”

                It seemed an idea had hit Roxy. “I got it. Jane, you and Jake will be totes a thing after tonight.”

                “And I’m fine with that.”

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

The plan was set into motion. Jane was to act as if she knew nothing of Jake’s feelings, which she really didn’t. Sure, Roxy said that he liked her, but that was Roxy. Who knew if she was lying or not? Midnight seemed to approach faster than Jane wanted, and she soon found herself outside, under the stars on a picnic blanket, alone with Jake.

                Jake was internally nervous, but outwardly, he was cool, calm, and collected. He had his pistol and double wink ready. Or was it his double pistols and a wink? Maybe Jake was more nervous than he would admit. He was sitting beside Jane, a whole lot of space between them and the only sounds were Dirk’s and Roxy’s quiet talking not far from them.

                It stayed silent for a while, the two of them sitting side by side, watching the falling stars in the sky. Jane couldn’t help but glance toward Jake, who had decided to glance at her at the exact time. Embarrassed, they both turned away once more. It seemed the two were in a stalemate. Neither one wanted to speak in fear of saying something completely and utterly stupid. But it seemed fate also wanted these two friends to become more than just that, and a strong gust of wind blew, causing Jane to shiver slightly.

                Without a second thought, Jake took his green jacket that he always wore and draped it over her shoulders. “It got a little chilly.” He told her with a goofy smile. Jane felt herself blush but smile back.

                “Why, thank you, Mr. English. But now you’ll be cold.” Jane scooted closer to him as to share the jacket. She put half of it over him and half of it over her. “Now we can both be sort of warm.” Even at this new, closer range, they did not touch. Both Jake and Jane were extremely red, and rather thankful for the darkness of the night.

                _What’s the matter with me?_ Jake thought after a while. _Why can’t I just come out with it already? I mean, it’s just Jane. I’ll just tell her._

 _Why can’t I just tell him what I feel?_ Jane thought alongside Jake, taking occasionally glances towards him. _I mean, it’s just Jake. I’ll just tell him._

“Jane-“

                “Jake-“

They both snorted and laughed together, falling backwards. It was some sort of ritual they had when they happened to be on the same wavelength. They laughed beside each other for a moment and Jane wiped a tear from her eye. “We always do that,” she told him, and then she turned over to look at him. “You go first.”

                Jake just stared at her, at a sudden loss for words. As he tried to get the right words to speak a leaf, as luck would have it, blew right onto his face, causing Jane to giggle again. “Jake, you really are rather silly. Here, let me help you.” She leaned forward and gently took the leaf off of his face. “There,” She said softly. “All better.” Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity to Jake.

                “Are you going to talk?” Jane asked, breaking their gaze as she looked away. As their gaze broke, Jake felt his walls breaking. Everything he had held in all night and their entire friendship spilled out.

                “Jane, I think I love you. I’ve felt this way since we first started talking, and the reason I was sort of an ass earlier was because I was jealous and-“he began to babble, but was cut off by Jane’s soft lips brushing against his own. The kiss itself was soft, but it made Jake turn even redder. “That’s a nice way to say shut up.”

                Jane smiled and gently took his hand. “Jake, I have to say, I’ve felt the same way, but I always thought you had feelings for Roxy or something, so I never acted on them.” And suddenly it seemed that they melted together in each other’s arms, sharing their warmth and tiny kisses.

                They only stopped when they heard Roxy clearing her throat. They pulled apart, glasses askew and hair all rumpled. Roxy only laughed. “What did I tell you, Janey? I told you he liked you.”

                “Yeah, I guess you were right. Sorry for doubting you. Thank you, though. And Roxy?”

                “What is it?”

                “I call dibs.”

 

 


End file.
